IOC officials concluded their inspection of Almaty's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, saying they were impressed with the Kazakh city's venues and satisfied with the government's assurances on human rights.

The Eurasian Economic Union, a trade bloc of former Soviet states, expanded to four nations Friday when Armenia formally joined, a day after the union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan began. The Russian-dominated bloc has been politically controversial and its early days are being overshadowed by the sharp deterioration of Russia's economy in recent months.

TORONTO — Behold the glory of the quote provided by Hassan Al-Thawadi, chief the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid, when the FIFA executive voted to award the tiny Middle East nation the biggest soccer event in the world four years ago: “We know it would be a bold gamble and an exciting prospect, but with no risk,” Al-Thawadi said on Dec.